Janssen Pharmaceuticals to Pay $181 Million in Multistate Consumer-Protection Suit

The Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals has announced a settlement and consent decree with 36 states and the District of Columbia in regards to previously disclosed allegations related to the company’s marketing and promotional practices for Risperdal (risperidone), for treating schizophrenia and bipolar mania.

According to the company’s Aug. 30, 2012, press release, the settlement requires Janssen to pay a previously accrued amount of approximately $181 million to resolve state consumer-protection law claims in the 36 states and the District of Columbia related to this matter.

“We have chosen this path to achieve a prompt and full resolution of these state claims and to ensure we continue to focus on our mission of providing medicines to meet the significant unmet needs of many people who suffer from mental illness,” said Janssen President Michael Yang in the release.

In addition to Washington, D.C., the 36 states participating in the settlement include: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.